Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Kialdan.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Kialdan.
The new Impatiens is a product of a planned breeding program Inventor in Gensingen, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new Impatiens cultivars with interesting and unique flower and foliage colors.
The new Impatiens originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in October, 1998 of the Impatiens hawkeri cultivar Moorea, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,147, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection identified as 387/97, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The cultivar Kialdan was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Gensingen, Germany in April, 1999.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Gensingen, Germany, since May, 1999, has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Kialdanxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Kialdanxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Impatiens cultivar:
1. Rounded, upright and compact plant habit.
2. Freely branching growth habit; bushy appearance.
3. Dark green-colored foliage.
4. Freely flowering habit with flowers positioned above or beyond the foliage.
5. Light purple-colored flowers with white-colored centers.
Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Moorea, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are not as vigorous as plants of the cultivar Moorea.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Moorea.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flower about one week earlier than plants of the cultivar Moorea.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens have more rounded flowers than plants of the cultivar Moorea.
5. Plants of the new Impatiens have light purple-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Moorea have white-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the male parent, the selection 387/97, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more vigorous than plants of the selection 387/97.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have darker green-colored leaves than plants of the selection 387/97.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flower later than plants of the selection 387/97.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens have lighter colored flowers than plants of the selection 387/97.
Plants of the new Impatiens can be compared to plants of the cultivar Toga, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,304. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gensingen, Germany, plants of the new Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar Toga in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens were more compact and not as vigorous as plants of the cultivar Toga.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens had smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Toga.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens flowered about one week earlier than plants of the cultivar Toga.
4. Plants of the new Impatiens had more rounded flowers than plants of the cultivar Toga.